Dyna-Glo DGX780BDC-D 36" Vertical Charcoal Smoker Black

June 2018 Update - Still going strong - attached is a photo from an overnight 14 hr cook of two pork butts. First - for the price point you cant beat this thing - just note it is not commercial grade. Couple things I've noticed - there is a distinct temp difference in the upper racks vs lower, so be mindful when you smoke larger cuts of meat. This puppy went from 10pm to noon the next day non-stop. Kept good even temps - but same as below, the factory thermostat tends to misread the entire smoker due to placement and air flow - it reads about 50 degrees hotter than the racks above the first one. I think the thermometer is properly calibrated, just difficult for it to give you anything but an average. I bought on oven thermometer on sale on amazon and use on other racks to give me a better average. The smoke box is big on this thing and for my overnight cook I just removed the lid and used larger chunks. I got smoke for well over 5+ hours. Only issue I've had is one of the E-rings on the upper handle popped off. Picked up a replacement at lowes.July 2017 Update - Still a great smoker - but noticed lots of peeling inside - hope its carbon, not paint!!!! Held up so far since purchase - small warping in the smoker box. After having now for two - years - I still like it. I see they've finally added a chimney on the top which will allow you to use in light rain. I think my only regret is not getting the wide body as you have to cut your longer ribs in half to get it to fit. I've found the thermometer reads much hotter than displayed off by about 50+ degrees. WiIl try to buy and aftermarket one and replace.*April 2016 Update - still going strong - worked great even through the VA winter. Used mid winter at 20-30 degrees and smoker still maintained temps. Build is holding up - burner still going strong. No issues or concerns at all.I researched all available LP smokers in this price range and decided on Dyna-Glo mostly based on the customer service replies noted in the comments. I've not had to call them yet.Pros: Well built for the price; large water pan and smoke box; nice smooth burner - at low stayed at 225 and high easily climbed to 350, didn't try higher as I was seasoning; Door close nice and tight; easy to assemble. Didn't leak much smoke.Cons: Few dings and bends from packaging, handle was bent almost flat and tab on LP unit was bent - was able to slowly bend back. As others reported, smoke box can easily fall off rails and mine did just that.Update - 5 stars after cooking. Cooked a whole chicken, ribs and pork butt - amazing cooker for the price range!

NOTE: buy the black or clear "LavaLock RTV 650 F BBQ grill smoker sealer Hi Temp Silicon adhesive 3 oz". If the red one sticks out like a sore thumb.SUGGESTED: multi-probe digital thermometer like Inkbird Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Grill Meat Thermometer IBBQ-4BW.PACKAGING: undamaged, all parts were straight and flat.SUGGESTION: wash it before you assemble it. I used Dawn PowerWash.ASSEMBLY: super easy and fast, I didn't even need my Dewalt screwdriver. I put the LavaLock on any parts that attached to the smoker with an opening to the inside, like screw holes.OPTIONAL: I replaced the nut and screw on the round adjustable vents near the bottom of both sides. The original ones didn't tighten all the way so the vent could easily be opened or closed accidentally.BREAK-IN ("seasoning"): follow instructions. I didn't cover the inside with oil but I bought an oil sprayer so I can when I re-season it. I just put some wet mesquite chunks in and filled the water tray.Start at the lowest gas knob setting and wait for the temperature to stabilize. Then turn the gas to 50% and let it stabilize. Finally, set to 100%. (If you blast it at 100% from the get go, some parts might heat up quicker and cause some warping.)Once the wood starts to smoke, lower the temp but make sure the wood is still smoking.Set the gas knobs until the internal temperature is at your smoking temperature. I used 225F. Then check the built-in thermometer and make note of the position of the needle. Mine was just a tick above the lowest smoking temperature range.FIRST SMOKE: two racks of pork ribs with St. Louis dry rub and two racks of beef ribs from Costco. Rubbed the beef with light salt and pepper.I used the 3-2-1 method for ribs: 3 hours with dry rub, 2 hours wrapped in butcher paper, 1 hour with BBQ sauce.Step 1:Make sure your propane tank is full and you have a backup tank.Prep meats.Soak the wood for 20 minutes.Close the vents.Step 2: warm it up like you're seasoning it, lowest - stabilize - med - stabilize - high.Step 3: add the wet wood and wait. Adjust the vents until you see smoke coming out of the top vent.Step 4:Lower the temp to the smoking temperature.Put in your meats and insert the thermometer probes. Make sure you don't poke it all the way through!For ribs, I smoked it for 3 hours at 225F and until the meat hit 185F.Step 5: (the rest of the steps are for ribs)Take the ribs out and wrap them with pink butcher paper. Make sure the paper is folded so any juices don't leak out.Put the ribs back in for 2 hours. Watch the temperature, don't let the meat get too much above 185F.Step 6:Take out the meat and unwrap.Slather with BBQ sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray's for my first smoke, no use using the fancy stuff while I get to know my smoker.Put the meat back in the smoker and let it go for another hour.Step 7: take out the meat and let it rest. The meat on ribs are thin so you don't have to rest it much.Turned out perfect, see picture.